Out of Time
by janefan13
Summary: NOW COMPLETE Inez, a girl used to modern life, is transported to medieval England. Terrible summary, better story. Have we not established that my summaries always suck? Matt/Inez, Jane/Jester, Jane/Gunther
1. Prologue

A/N: Hey! I'm back, and with the first ever JatD crossover. As this is a crossover and one that either side probably hasn't heard of, I'm going to quickly go over the main characters and follow with a short prologue. Everything else will be substantially longer.

Inez: Kind, intelligent, good with math and words, hates it when Matt calls her Nezzie

Matt: Athletic, good with math, enjoys calling Inez Nezzie

Jane: First female squire in Kippernia, feisty, stubborn

Jester: Funny, caring, best friends with Jane

Dragon: 300 year old dragon, odd sense of humor, best friends with Jane

Gunther: Squire, sometimes mean, sometimes oddly kind

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase or Jane and the Dragon, though I wish I did.

2012 A.D.

"I'll get you kids for this!" The Hacker shouted out the door of the Grim Wreaker, which was making unusual popping noises while we congratulated ourselves.

Yes indeed, the Cybersquad, Matt, Jackie, Cyboid Digit, and I, had once again prevented the Hacker from ruling Cyberspace. We had been working to save Cyberspace from Hacker for several years now, and had really become quite expert in the process of defeating Hacker. Beyond that, as we grew more mature, it came to pass that our relationships did as well. Slider had asked Jackie out only a few months ago, but Matt and I had been going steady for almost a year. Even Digit had started seeing another Cyboid.

"Good job, Cybersquad," said Motherboard, coming in over the trio's SKWAK pads. "That should keep Hacker under control for a while." A portal opened to the left of Matt as an unstated farewell. Matt jumped in, ready to go, but Jackie and I lingered. Motherboard's eyebrow rose in question.

"I have a date with Slider tonight..." Jackie said, almost as a question. After all, Motherboard was like a second mother to all of us. Another portal opened as Motherboard nodded her head knowingly.

"Have fun in Radopolis. Why are you not returning Inez?"

"I promised Digit I'd help him learn some Spanish to impress his lady friend." Digit turned rather red in the beak. A third portal opened in front of the Digit and I.

"You might as well return to Control Central. It doesn't make much sense to teach Spanish on Mount Olympus." Inez and Digit stepped through the portal and began the foreign language lesson.

About an hour later, I was getting somewhat frustrated by the horrible Spanish coming from Digit (What do you expect? Mixing New Jersey with Spanish!) and I decided it was time I returned home. I informed Motherboard as much and a portal opened, ready to return me to Earth. As I rode along the portal, toward Earth, I noticed something seemed odd. Normally when in a portal, various equations and number symbols floated in the odd space. But this time, only two things were visible: the word additione and the word subtractione. I remained confident that everything was fine until I emerged from the portal and found myself in a clearing, with a mountain and the top of a castle in my line of sight.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Chapter 1, as promised, is significantly longer. Enjoy!

812 A.D.

Patrol had been going smoothly, as usual, and Dragon and I were on our way home to the castle when we saw a bright light coming from the forest beneath us. I moved to say something to Dragon, but he had seen it and was attempting to lower himself carefully and quietly into a nearby meadow. I dismounted and drew my sword, ready for some sort of fight if need be. Using all my training, I moved stealthily towards the tree line and from there into the clearing. I managed to make my way completely silent, and came across a girl of about my age sitting on the ground in front of me. I couldn't see her face, but from the way she kept shaking her head I could tell she was confused. She was wearing some sort of vest, like I had seen Gunther wear sometimes, and to my shock she wore absolutely nothing below her knee but a pair of odd colored boots.

I took another step nearer, curious and stepped rather loudly on a twig. In addition, the shifting beneath my feet threw me off balance, and as I stepped to regain it, my chain mail swished quite noisily. The girl, who was evidently not hard of hearing, sprung to her feet and spun around, and all but fell when she saw me holding a sword. "This is not good, not good at all!" I heard her whisper. I considered sheathing my weapon, but she was holding something I did not recognize in her hand, and thinking of Sir Ivan's collection of weapons, I took an offensive stance, just in case. As a second thought, I issued a warning. "Drop your weapon and show me your hands."

She appeared confused, and then started laughing. "You think my SKWAK is a weapon?"

Her confidence unnerved me, as did her strange accent. I remembered the purple light, and realized that if she were a magician she would need no weapon. "What magic caused the purple flash I saw?"

She paused in her laughter, and began laughing again. "That wasn't magic, that was technology. Something must have gone wrong with the portal Motherboard sent me through. I'll bet it was Hacker, back at his old tricks again."

I was shocked when I heard Gunther's nickname for me, that he would use whenever he saw me working at the dummy. He said I would hold my sword like I was hacking at the dummy. I realized that I had relaxed my grip on the sword, and I brought the tip in front of the girl's throat, hoping for some straight answers.

She seemed to understand the unspoken threat, as she ceased her laughter and tried to explain herself. "My name is Inez. The...Queen of a...country I visit had the...wizard...open a portal for me to return home. The Queen is called Motherboard, ruler of the land of Cyberspace, and her wizard is the master of the magic form, technology," I didn't like the way she paused to think of what to call things. It was as if she thought I was slow.

"Do not mock me. I may not have understood what you said at first, but it sounded like the truth. You are making excuses, may I ask why?"

The girl, Inez, sighed. "You want the truth? I'm from Amer-" She ceased speaking comprehensibly. I felt a shadow pass over us, and the girl began stuttering "D-d-d-dragon! L-l-l-look out!"

Of course Dragon would decide to show himself the moment I seemed to be getting somewhere with Inez. "Dragon, you seem to be scaring our guest."

"Yes, I know, it is just that I have never heard of this land called 'Cyberspace'. Is it near the isle Britain? Are there dragons there?" I sighed. Something about this girl hinted to me that she would not have seen any other dragons.

"Well, I only personally know one dragon, and he's not nearly as big as you, but I'm sure there's a few."

Dragon looked hopeful and excited for a moment, but his mood soured. "You better not be fooling me. If you are, then," the fist meeting Dragon's open palm clarified his meaning, in case it wasn't obvious.

"There are, I'm not lying. It's just...I doubt I'll ever make it back to Cyberspace, so it doesn't matter anyway."

I was confused, but a part of me seemed to believe her. "I think you should start at the beginning." I shot a dirty look at Dragon. "Again."

"I'm from America. You might not have heard of it, especially since I'd guess it's around the year 800. Correct?" I nodded, not sure why she didn't know that. "Anyway, it's a long way away, to the west, over the ocean. Most Europeans discover it in 1492, but Vikings have already known about it for centuries-"

Dragon laughed and I giggled. "You're talking about the place we get potatoes from. Dragon told us about that."

"Having a 300 year old dragon has some uses." Dragon looked rather full of himself.

"Yes, well, that's where I'm from."

"No, it is not. You speak impeccable English, even though you sound funny. They have not heard a lick of English over there." I obviously trusted Dragon on this count, as I couldn't know for myself.

"Yet." The puzzled look covering my face informed her she needed to explain. "I already referred to the year 1492, when Columbus 'discovers' America. The truth is, though, I'm from even later. I'm from the year 2012, a time of great metal ships, buildings that nearly scrape the sky, ships that fly like birds, or dragons, across the ocean, and instantaneous movement of information all around the world. All this is technology, far greater than that found here, or should I say, now, but as technology grew, another dimension was created, one filled entirely with high level technology, and that is Cyberspace. I would guess it doesn't even exist yet..." She continued to tell a story so farfetched I couldn't believe it, and yet for some reason I did. I think it was the fact that either she had imagined all this, and was the most insane person ever seen, or she told the indisputable truth. Mostly indisputable because no one could say otherwise for several centuries. And besides, it sounded like Matt might have even descended from someone living within a few hundred miles of me, perhaps even my own posterity."...and I'm convinced that Hacker somehow made the portal glitch, sending me here." She paused, searching for a reaction. "So, do you believe me?"

I paused, still not entirely convinced. But no matter what I told her, she would have to return to the castle, where I should have been already. I sheathed my sword. "I do, but I doubt anyone else will. Unfortunately, as a knight, I am honor bound to inform my King of your presence."

She lowered her head in something like relief, or perhaps thanks, but she lifted her head after only a moment and I signaled for Dragon to come closer so that we could get ready to fly. We mounted, and Dragon took off. I remembered when Rake had first ridden Dragon, and prepared to cover my ears. Inez gasped slightly, and then released an exhilarating whoop. I remembered her story of great ship that fly like birds and understood. She had flown before. "Well, you've told me your story, so it's only fair that you hear mine." I went into just as much detail, describing how the first lady squire of Kippernium came into being. Of course, as expected, I neglected to mention my feelings for either Jester or Gunther, as I felt she excluded something between herself and Matt. I remembered as we neared the castle that she wore a skirt absolutely too short for the King, so as I concluded my tale, I told Dragon to try to set us down outside of my tower. It was definitely good that we were the same size, as once we entered I removed one of my old lady-in-waiting dresses from my wardrobe. Inez seemed to understand, so I exited the tower to begin warding off unwanted attention.

Jester arrived first, more curious than anything. "Jane, was that a girl on Dragon with you?" I nodded. I noticed he started blushing in preparation for his next question. "And, was it just me, or...was she wearing nothing beneath her knees?" By now, he was an amusing shade of scarlet.

I tried to resist, but failed. "Did you get a good look?" I wondered if that had gone too far when he began to resemble one of Rake's beets.

"No! Of course not! I'd never look at another..." He saw that I was smiling and knew that I had caught him. "I have to be somewhere...not here!" In an effort to restore his good humor, he ran with arms flailing and yelping, as though in pain. I laughed quite hard until I heard the door open behind me.

I recognized the dress she was wearing with fondness. That was the dress I was wearing when the King granted me my apprenticeship. "Come on, then. I need to present you first to the Captain of the guard, then probably the King. Now, you understand I can't defend you in any way. If we discover that you are mad, or you turn on us, and I do support you, then I could lose my apprenticeship. Even if I was a man and I did that, I would cease to be a knight."

"I understand. So, you need to present me to the Captain?"

"Yes, follow me." I led her to the knight's quarters where I delivered my report of my patrol while Inez waited outside. I was admonished for being late and instructed to clean out the stalls of the stable as a punishment. Sir Theodore summoned Inez. He seemed rather incredulous at her ridiculous story. Of course, I suggested that it might be wise to keep her near the castle if she was telling the truth, as she couldn't fend for herself without help, and she knew no one. As expected, Sir Theodore instructed Inez to report to the King. However, I was specifically instructed to begin my punishment and not to be anywhere near the throne room. Jester, being Jester, saw that I was not going to the same location as Sir Theodore meandered to the throne room as well so that I could remain in the loop on my 'find'. Sweet. Kind of.

I mucked out the stalls, as instructed, though it took me all afternoon. By the time I finished with that and my other chores, it was long past dinner. I travelled to the kitchens to find Pepper cleaning up. "Hello, Pepper. How was the dinner service?"

"It didn't happen," stated Pepper. "Rake and Smithy had a fine meal, though."

"How is that?"

"Well, the King is still speaking with the girl you found-"

"Inez." My, I was getting defensive of a girl I had held a sword to only hours before!

"Right. The King is still speaking to Inez, and Jester is still listening at the door." She must have sensed my next question, for she then stated in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, he ate. I brought him a roll and some fruit."

"Thank you. I hate to see all this food go to waste..."

"Of course, Jane. Eat what you like."

"Thank you once more." Jane began eating, and though she ate large amounts of food, she was rather distracted by wondering just what was happening in the throne room.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next one. I'd like to thank everyone who's been willing to read this despite knowing little of Cyberchase or of Jane and the Dragon, as they are an unlikely combination.

"What kind of madman do you think I am? Or better yet, what kind of madwoman are you?" It was never stated by the King or the old knight in front of me, but that was the general idea I got from them. What I need is some evidence. If I can show them technology, then they have to believe me, or at least take me seriously. I continued to describe everything I had done from the moment Motherboard brought us into Cyberspace. However, the only thing resulting from my explanation was that they did not believe I was a spy or completely insane, as my story had remained as consistent as it was farfetched. I was coming far to swiftly to a conclusion, though the pain in my feet insisted I had been here for hours, when I heard a muffled beep coming from underneath all the skirts of the dress the knight, Jane, gave me. An idea was forming. I was describing my last moments before appearing in Kippernium and I was fairly sure I knew what to do.

"...when I turned around I saw Jane, and only a few moments later I began describing what I've told you."

"Why should we believe this foolishness? You have described complete impossibilities!"

"Pardon me, but they are not impossible. In fact, I have proof." Even as I said it, I remembered that 'proof' wasn't a word yet. It started out as a slang term, referring to a 'proof' in geometry as evidence of other things, but as geometry was not common yet, they wouldn't understand. I quickly amended my statement to, "I have evidence."

"It might be a good idea to see the 'proof' she claims to have," suggested the old knight with the salt and pepper moustache. I tried not to show the sting at my mistake being thrown back.

"Yes. You may be right. Show us your evidence." At least now I would have a chance to show them the truth.

"If it pleases your majesty, it might be wise to summon the wizard, to sense if she uses magic to skew what she chooses to show us." I knew at that moment it was he who I was really convincing, not the King.

"That, too. Sir Ivan, fetch the wizard." I became somewhat frightened, because if he chose not to tell the truth, that I was not performing 'magic', I could be in trouble. Of course, he might just be a wise old man who would be willing to help without knowing anything. I prayed for the latter.

The red-haired knight left the throne room, but as he opened the door I heard the distinct sound of bells. I thought it might be like those old shops with bells on the door, but after a moment I discarded that thought and simply assumed it was just a jester or something. My assumption was proved correct when the large knight exclaimed, "Get away from that door, Jingleboy!" I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye a boy wearing blue clothes covered in what looked like a puzzle piece pattern. I recalled the boy Jane was speaking to earlier and figured that it was probably him.

A few moments later, the knight returned with an old man bent almost double, his long grey beard sweeping the floor at his feet and his heavy-looking deep blue robes framed delicately around him to make him appear more imposing, but he seemed more likely to say something about 'his day' than cast a spell of any sort.

"Wizard, if you sense any magic coming from this girl, please inform us." Once again, it was the old knight who spoke, not the King. That meant one of two things: the knight was power-hungry, which was dangerous for me, or the King was weak, which would be very good.

The Wizard mumbled a reply which was accepted as an affirmative.

"Very well, maid, show us your evidence." This almost surprised me, as the King spoke, not the knight. I looked to the knight to see what he thought of this slight assertiveness on the King's part. If the knight's relieved face was anything to go by, I was dealing with a weak King and a loyal knight. Excellent.

"Of course, your majesty. But…"

"But what?"

"Could you do me the favor of turning away for a moment?"

The knight's head snapped from a look of contentment to attention. "Why?" His voice was practically dripping with suspicion.

I quickly tried to back pedal, as I knew that if the knight didn't trust me, the King probably would reject my story. "I swear that I have no evil intentions as such, however, my evidence is under my skirts…"

Apparently, he accepted this, as he looked over his shoulder and shielded his eyes. The King, the redheaded knight, and the wizard followed suit. I bent down, reached under the slightly bulky dress and removed my SKWAK. "You may turn back, now." A small amount of trust was in the knight's eyes now, as I hadn't removed anything that looked like a weapon. Of course, a gun also would not have looked like a weapon, yet it could kill all four in the room before they knew what was happening. I removed that thought, as it could show something on my face that would be treated badly. "This is a piece of technology from my time. It has the ability to record sights and sounds as well as many other things." While I delivered that short introduction, I was opening one of the folders on my SKWAK. "My friends and I have been recording everything we've done, because we realized that things we were figuring out would be good for our education if we could review it later." I opened one of the first videos I had taken, just a week or so after I had received the SKWAK, and turned the pad around to show it to the King. I showed a few more, some that I had recorded and some that Jackie and Matt had taken and then had sent me. I tried hard to not tear up when, while listening to what we were saying, I remembered what this must be doing to Matt, Motherboard, Digit, and Jackie, not to mention other friends of ours at various Cybersites, and that I may never see any of my friends again.

I was showing one more video that Jackie had taken. We were all thinking hard on what we could do and Jackie was pacing and had put her SKWAK on a table. You could see half of me, standing on my head, as well as Matt's moving yoyo. I flipped over quickly as I came up with something that could work. I started to quickly explain the solution to the team. I was reliving the memory as it was playing on the tiny screen. It was one of my best memories. After I finished the explaining my plan, Jackie exclaimed, "You're a genius, Inez!" Matt wrapped me in a hug, exulting in now knowing what we had to do. It was then, in that moment, when he reached down his head from above me, took one of his hands and lifted my face, and kissed me. I remembered every feeling from that day for a moment before quickly turning the screen back around and looking down at it to hide my deep scarlet face. I had asked Jackie to send me that video because of the kiss, not the mathematics.

When I looked up, the old knight was lightly chuckling. "Well, that doesn't look like something anyone could have faked without magic or the technology you claim to have. Wizard, did she use magic?"

The old man shook his head and said something taken as a 'no'.

"My King, I find myself convinced by the young maid's 'proof'. My council is to take her at her word."

The King sat silently, thinking deeply, for a moment. He took a deep breath. I noticed I hadn't been breathing and my heart was beating fast. He opened his mouth and declared his decision. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that I fainted. I would never know what he said.

OoOoO

I heard the jingling of bells as I finished a piece of the meat pie Pepper had baked. "I knew I could find you here." Jester quickly descended the stairs and sat across from me, a slight smile implying the joke on my eating habits to come.

"Yes, yes. I have the appetite of a bear. What is the King's decision?"

His face fell.

"She is to leave?"

A smile came back to his face, but it was a pleading smile, as though he hoped I would not murder him violently. "I know that you wanted to know what happened…"

"Which is why if you do not tell me soon you may not ever speak again." I realized once more that I was fiercely protective of the girl.

"I do not know."

"You do not know what?"

"I do not know what happened."

"How can you not know?"

"Well, she told the King her story. I assume you heard something similar. She said she had some evidence to for the King to see to show that she was telling the truth. Sir Theodore said it may be wise to send for the Wizard to make sure the evidence was not magically tainted. The King agreed and sent Sir Ivan to fetch the Wizard. When he exited the room, he hit me in the face with the door, heard my bells and told me to leave. I have been looking for you since then." He finished that be throwing up his arms in a defensive position.

"I am not going to hurt you. You should probably get some rest if you want a chance of being funny tomorrow. I will wait to see wait the King decides."

"I am sorry, Jane. I know this is important to you, even if I am not sure why." Jester had recently begun to be oddly sensitive of my feelings, making things that are important to me important to him. It was not unpleasant, simply…odd.

"It is fine. Go! Get some rest! We all know that I can handle a night without sleep the best, of the three of us." Jester rose from the table we were sitting at, made a mock bow, and climbed the stairs to exit the kitchens.

"Well, then, I guess the two of us will wait to see what happens." Pepper said as she placed her hands on her hips in a commanding voice.

"Pepper, you have to wake up before anyone else in the castle. I cannot expect you to wait however long this may yet take."

"You might not expect it, but it will happen." The look on her face was that which she wore when trying to mold a pie into perfect shape, despite itself.

I laughed. "I cannot convince you otherwise, can I?" She shook her head, giggling. "Very well. We should probably wait outside the throne room." Pepper nodded in agreement and we cleaned the few dishes left and went to await the verdict.


	4. Chapter 3

When I awoke, for just a moment, I thought I was at my own home. I expected Gatito to climb onto my bed, begging for a scratch before the morning even started. Maybe Mom was cooking breakfast. When my eyes opened and I saw a stone ceiling, the memories of the past day came flooding back, down to the embarrassing moment when someone who could decide to banish me saw my first kiss. I tried to remember how it was that I got into this room I didn't recognize The King was about to pronounce his decision, and I blacked out. Someone must have carried me to this room after that. I realized heard a knock on the door. "Come on in." I said, without thinking about who it might be.

A tall woman who had an unnaturally pale face scurried in. She had her hair covered by some sort of kerchief, and the pastel dress she was wearing simply accented her complete lack of coloring. "So you are the girl my daughter found! I was told to bring you some of my daughter's old things. Do you know how to put them on? Of course not, after all, you come from a time when showing not only ankle, but knee is acceptable." She held up the clothes I had worn when I arrived with disgust. "I wanted to burn it, but my daughter insisted that you might need it again, someday. She said that 'If Inez got here, her team might be able to rescue her', and you might need those clothes when you returned to your time."

I tried to take in that flood of information. "So, wait, you're Jane's mother?"

The scurrying women looked at me oddly for a moment, as though she didn't understand how I didn't know her. "Oh, of course. I forgot to introduce myself." She did a slight curtsy. "I am Adeline Turnkey, the Lady in waiting to Queen Gwendoline of Kippernium. Oh, and I am referred to as 'My Lady'. Only the lower castle staff can be referred to by name. My husband is the chamberlain of the castle. You saw him yesterday when you were presented to the King. He was the red-haired man garbed in green standing to the left and slightly back from the King. If you need to address him, refer to him as 'chamberlain'. Others in this castle are Sir Theodore and Sir Ivan, the knights of the King's guard and two off his most trusted advisors. You saw them already as well. We have a resident wizard, but he is rather reclusive, so you are not likely to need to address him. You've met my daughter Jane, a squire at this castle," the words were spoken by the Lady in Waiting like poison. She obviously wasn't happy about that. "Anyway, we also have various maids and servants in the castle; you might learn their names later. My daughter spends most of her time with the smith, the gardener, the cook, and the jester. Personally, I think she spends much too much time with the jester. After all, she is training to be a knight. Knights are minor nobility, so she could never marry a mere entertainer. I intend to set up a match between her and Gunther. His father may just be a filthy merchant, but he will be a knight as well, which will be enough to satisfy me, birth wise. Of course, any marriage would be a tough sell to my daughter and her suitor both. Who would want to marry a knight?!" I got the feeling that the Lady in waiting wasn't really speaking to me. I just nodded until she put the dresses on the table next to the bed I was on and instructed me to go to the throne room to receive a formal occupation assignment.

I rolled out of the bed, still half-asleep. I removed the clothes I had worn yesterday and replaced them with a dress. I immediately began to think of what I could possibly do, as I knew very little on very little from this time period. I made my way toward the throne room, after asking about twenty maids where I needed to go. I scurried in. I presented myself and fumbled a curtsy. "I apologize if I am slightly tardy…"

"It is fine. So, you present a difficult problem. Most young girls your age either have chosen a profession or are married, or both. So of course, as you haven't done any such thing, we wonder what benefit you could bring to the castle."

"Well, at home, I would sometimes wash clothes, but I had a machine to help me. I can't cook. In fact, I can't do very much. You see, in my time, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I think… I might know enough about the future to help you discover some things prematurely."

"Like what?"

"I know a lot about modern medicine. My parents were both surgeons, and sometimes they would teach me some simple medical procedures that won't be discovered for another thousand years or so. I can care for animals, too. A friend of mine had a farm and he would have me help him sometimes."

"Very well, you can help take care of the animals, but otherwise try to teach our wizard things about technology." I accepted that rather well, as it was the most I could expect. "However, you will have a few days to acquaint yourself with our lifestyle and to learn the names of those whom you will be working with. Also, if you'd like, the room you slept in last night can be your permanent quarters."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"You are dismissed."

I was pleasantly surprised with his briefness, considering yesterday I had been in the throne room for the better part of the day. I curtsied again and left. I was intent on discovering my surroundings. I walked through the large doors, into what seemed to be just a paved walkway from the entrance to the keep. I turned right and walked through what appeared to be a stable towards the sound of a hammer. I saw a blond haired boy, about my age, working in a forge. Nearby, I saw a slight, red-haired figure beating on a practice dummy with a wooden sword. I assumed it was Jane, but I chose to let her continue practicing. A young man with black hair slicked back walked up with a wooden sword of his own.

"Are you ready to be beaten, Jane?"

"If by 'be beaten', you mean beat you into the ground, then yes." Jane whirled around, moving immediately into a fighter's stance. He dropped into a similar position. She lunged forward first and he took a step back. She placed several more hits, but not one landed anywhere but his sword. She fell back, circling around him carefully. He made a forward attack of his own, a powerful lunge. Jane sidestepped it easily and struck a hit while his guard was lowered. He stumbled back a step and unleashed a torrent of blows on Jane. She moved aside from each blow and hit him harshly on his right wrist. His sword flew from his hand. For a moment, he stood, seeing her sword poised for an attack He raised his fists, as though he planned on fighting hand-to-hand, but instead rolled to her right where his sword had landed. In a fluid movement, he grabbed the hilt, regained his footing and returned to a defensive stance.

They continued to fight fiercely, neither saying a word, for a long time. I was so enveloped in their fight that I didn't even notice when the blond boy came up next to me.

"I guess you would never have seen a sword fight before." I turned to my left and recognized the speaker, startled. "My name is Jethro, by the way. You can call me Smithy." He extended his arm. I grabbed his hand, but he frowned. "We grab the forearm, not the hand. I do not know why, but it is common."

"Thank you. I'd hate to have embarrassed myself in front of someone less forgiving who wouldn't have even told me what was wrong. I'm Inez."

"You can count on Jane, Rake, Pepper, Jester, and I for that. So, you are to help with the animals?"

"Yes. That, and aid the wizard in his studies. Were the animals part of your job, before?"

"They still will be. The animals need more care than one person can provide, especially if that one person also must take care of smithing. Which reminds me, I should get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Inez."

"You, too" I extended my hand in parting. He looked at me strangely and grasped my hand.

"You shake like this in parting, as well?" He and I laughed at his comment and I turned back to where Jane and Gunther had been fighting. I couldn't see either of them, so I decided to continue to what appeared to be the kitchen herb garden. I wandered in that direction and was somewhat startled when a brunet boy around my age appeared out of the ranks of plants. "Ha HA! You will not succeed in you attempt to conquer the rosemary!" I thought for a moment that he might have been speaking to me, but I saw the small weed in his hands.

"You must be Rake." I said as I tried to suppress my laughter.

"Yes, I am. I assume that you are Inez, then. Tell me, what is the plant life like where you are from?"

"Well, we have some crepe myrtles outside of our house and a pineapple guava in our backyard." I noticed the puzzled look on his face at the plant names I had taken as common. "Crepe myrtles are a bush that can be formed to look like trees with small flowers that can be pink, red, or white. Pineapple guava is another bush that forms larger flowers, but it makes a lot less than that of a crepe myrtle. We have a couple petunias, and some daises. That's about it."

"No herbs? No spices?"

"No, we buy ours at the grocery store. We mostly just buy peppers though. Our family loves jalapeños. They're kind of spicy, though."

"Thank you. I hear you are to be working with Smithy and the…" the boy trailed off and looked over his shoulder towards the admittedly creepy looking tower.

"The wizard, Rake." A jester walked up from the steps of the kitchen, addressing the young man. He turned towards me. "There is no reason to be afraid of him. I have found that he is mostly a nice old man. Rake here is just slightly superstitious about magic."

"Jester, if you are meeting the new girl without me, you had better come back down here with her," called a voice from the nearby steps.

"Well, it seems that our presence is requested in the kitchen. M'lady?" He offered his arm in the way that ushers at a wedding would. I placed my arm on his, wondering of it was common for people to act so formally around here as we climbed down the steps into what appeared to be the kitchen.

I saw the small, dark-haired girl who had most likely instructed me to come down into the kitchen. "Jester, stop that! She'll think we are always that formal!" Jester dropped his arm and bowed in apology. I looked to Pepper and started laughing. I finished climbing down the stairs.

"So, you're Pepper."

"And you are Inez. Don't let Jester fool you. The lot of us are completely informal. If he makes you think that we are high and mighty, just remember that he's probably mocking those who are." While she delivered the last part, she shot daggers at Jester.

"What are you cooking? It smells wonderful!" I exclaimed, basking in the richness of the scent of cooking food.

"Do they not cook in your time?" she asked, suddenly concerned. In response, my stomach growled.

"No, I just don't think they've bothered to feed me in this time."

Pepper suddenly climbed up the stairs and looked at a small sundial. "It's time for midday meal already!"

"Midday meal?" I asked, thinking something like lunch.

Pepper had started to scurry through the kitchen. "Never borrow, never steal, never miss the midday meal. Go sit at the table next to the kitchen. Jester's probably gone to fetch the others."


	5. Chapter 4

How did I let Gunther get the better of me like this? I felt myself overbalancing, yet I dared not raise a foot to renew my stance as he continued to push down with his wooden sword. I had allowed him to lock our swords at the hilt, destroying any advantage I would normally have over him in my footwork. Gunther's stern brown eyes looked at me in a familiar manner: he knew as well as I that he had all but bested me. I slowly seemed to give in before presenting an unacknowledged source of strength, but it was too late. He continued to push down towards me, until I was bent beyond what was completely comfortable for my back, trying desperately to hold my footing. If I fell now, I was beat. Gunther chose then to show his own hidden reserve and pushed me beyond my limit.

I fell hard onto the dirt behind me, but I could not allow him to force me to fall without returning the favor. I took the moment when he was confident of his victory and had his guard down to entangle my feet in his, forcing him to fall. I realized as I felt the audible thump of him landing on me that I had not thought of what exactly he would be landing on. He had landed entirely on top of me, so as to prevent any movement on my part. His face was just over mine, breathing harder than he had been when we were fighting. His eyes were locked on mine, filled with an intense emotion that I could not identify.

"Gunther?" I whispered, unable to take a proper breath.

"Yes, Jane?" His voice had a softness to it that I had heard only rarely before.

"Get off of me, you clumsy donkey!" I exclaimed, trying to get the hunk of meat off of me.

Gunther looked around, as though realizing what situation we were in. "Oh, of course." He put his hands on either side of me and pushed up before rolling over to the side and springing to his feet. I moved into a sitting position. He offered a hand to help me up and I accepted.

"That was a good fight. Try not to get into situations like that, where my strength can overcome you so easily," He offers me the somewhat obvious advice, obviously struggling to come up with something to say.

"Thank you. I will try to remember that in the future." I looked for an escape and saw Inez speaking with Smithy. I considered adding myself to their conversation, but I knew that I should let her meet the rest of the castle so I walked to the practice weapon rack and put my sword away. Before Gunther could say anything else, I headed towards my tower room for a moment of peace before midday meal. Moments later, I heard a gentle knock of someone coming to fetch me for the meal. I opened the door and saw Jester. I was somewhat glad of the opportunity to speak to my best friend.

"Pepper has the food ready," he said, smiling.

"You had me at 'food'," I laughed.

"You really are getting better at self-mockery. Before you know it, you'll be a first class fool."

"But I thought one must be born a fool, like you?" I looked at him with the blank, serious look I had practiced.

"Perhaps you are more advanced than I thought!" he exclaimed as he started laughing. I followed suit.

"I meant to ask you, has Gunther been acting…odd lately?"

"You mean more odd than normal? No. Why?"

"Nothing. He just seemed off today when we were sparring." The remaining walk to the table was silent. We found the rest having quite an enjoyable time, laughing at something that had been said. I noticed that Inez seemed to be quite similar in temperament as to everyone else. Jester and I sat down at the table and we each took a plateful of food. The conversation stayed cheerful, every now and then bursting in laughter at a purposefully bad joke from Jester. It was a stark comparison to the conversation I had had with Jester, and not at all unwelcome. The meal ended too soon and I had to begin my knightly chores and lessons. I excused myself from the table and went to polish a sword of Sir Ivan's that he had complained of being improperly taken care of by Gunther, hoping the repetitive motion of cleaning a sword would help me discern what the implications of the morning's events were.

OoOoO

I watched from afar as the small group continued to eat their meal in absolute joviality. For a moment, I wished I could join them in their meal, before I remembered that my goal in watching was not to befriend them. I noticed what seemed to be a shred of tension between Jane and the jester. I wondered if that perhaps meant that my plans had been going awry. I knew that if I wanted things to work correctly, I would have to find something soon, or it may be too late.


	6. Chapter 5

The next few days passed in a joyous blur with very few falters. I quickly learned the names of everyone I'd be working with, as well as a few other people in the castle. Before I knew it, Smithy began to teach me the proper manner of care of the warhorses stabled in the castle. I was a bit of a slow learner, but he was patient with me and I'd begun to get the hang of it. I'd discovered also that the Wizard was just as Jester had said, and completely different from what Rake'd feared. The first day I had gone to help him, he had simply asked a few questions about my time and allowed me to return to aiding Smithy, since there was a hunt earlier and the horses needed more tending than normal.

I was pretty happy; people seemed quite accepting of the differences in our cultures. In fact, I'd even begun to make friends outside of Jane's clique. Several of the maids had gotten into the habit of visiting me in the stables when they had some free time. I was caring for Battleaxe, Sir Ivan's horse, when I heard a now-familiar voice call out from behind me. "I still do not know how you can manage a horse that is so much larger than you," Sherilin commented as she walked into the stable. She'd become a close friend of mine. She was taller than almost anyone I'd met in the castle, probably around 6' 2", with long brown hair that she tied back in a braid and laughing eyes that seemed to make everything a joke.

"It's really quite simple," I started to explain. "You just have to apply your weight to the neck and establish your dominance. Then the horse'll do anything you want."

Sherilin started laughing uncontrollably for no apparent reason. I cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I just cannot get used to how you combine words, such as 'horse'll'," she laughed in explanation.

I thought for a moment, then realized that I'd never heard anyone use contractions in the castle. Of course! Contractions were much too recent to be used by anyone for several hundred years. "Sorry! It didn't-I mean-It did not even register with me!" I blushed, ashamed that I had not picked up on that sooner.

"It is fine, Nezzie." I flinched inwardly at her usage of Matt's old nickname for me. I had been trying to forget Matt, Jackie, Didgit, Motherboard, and everyone else. It was simply painful. I remembered that I was in the middle of a conversation when I had impolitely tuned out Sherilin. "-would not use such words in front of Caitlyn."

"I can not-"

"I told you, I find your word combinations humorous! Continue using them, and that is an order!" Sherilin used her stupendous height to create a rather imposing figure, until it snapped when she and I broke out in laughter.

"As I was saying, I can't believe that Caitlyn is that rude. Shy maybe, but not rude."

Sherilin threw up her hands in a sign of desperation "If you will not believe me, why do you not try talking to her? There she is now, probably on an errand for the Queen." Sherilin nodded her head in the direction of the supposedly rude maid. The way that her eyes sparkled let me know that no such thing was expected.

Caitlyn was the most reclusive of everyone in the castle. She was small, only about 5', with blonde hair and peircing, steely gray-blue eyes. Something about her seemed to put almost everyone on edge. Sherilin had told me that she was the oldest daughter of one of Queen Gwendoline's maids: she had been in the Queen's favor since birth. This was the only thing preventing the other people in the castle from insisting she be replaced. It seemed that Caitlyn knew it, as she never spoke to anyone besides her mother and the Queen. It seemed unclear as to whether she was reclusive because people would not speak to her, or people would not speak to her because she was reclusive.

I stared into Sherilin's eyes. She didn't expect me to call her bluff on her suggestion. To her, it was just a joke. "I think I just might!"

The surprise was evident on her face. It soon turned to a grin that she couldn't hold back. "Good! I will go get the other maids! They will enjoy this!" Sherilin scurried as best someone with legs as long as her's could.

I had finished grooming Battleaxe and turned to Smithy for dismissal (he wasn't my superior, but I still felt the need for his permission in order to leave). He nodded his assent and I jogged to catch up with Caitlyn. "Wait!" I exclaimed, loud enough for her to pause and turn around. "Would you like some company on your errand?"

"No, thank you. I am afraid I am simply heading down to market to fetch a few ribbons. Surely someone such as you has more important things than buying ribbons in the market," she responded. Though her words were polite, they had a biting edge that made me question if her intent wasn't something more like, "Why would I want to talk to you?" She was one of the ones who thought that I was insane. Wonderful. She allowed a small smirk, showing that she knew I knew she hated me. She then turned away, walking briskly toward the gate.

I stood for a moment, still not quite understanding what had just happened. "Don't feel bad. She does that to everyone the first time they try to talk to her." Jane had come up behind me.

"Really? I thought she was just shy." I turned around to meet Jane's gaze.

"Shy? Hardly! She simply hates everyone else!"

"Why, though? I've never done anything to her."

"You do not have to. She hates me because I am a knight. She hates Pepper and Rake because Pepper and Rake love each other. She hates Jester because he takes things too lightly. Others, she hates for more mundane reasons. Your friend Sherilin is too tall. Maura, my mother's assistant is too thin. She simply finds a reason to dislike someone and nurtures it to hate. I would be afraid to think what it would be like if someone did something to go against her."

"Don't you ever wonder if that frame of mind is why she hates everyone here?"

"Trust me. At some point in their lives, every single person here, excluding Gunther, has tried to talk to her. Everyone has failed. She dismisses them just as easily as she dismissed you. I will not prevent you from trying to befriend her, but I will warn you that befriending her is almost impossible."

I nodded, and Jane seemed glad that I had accepted her advice. Of course, she didn't know that she had simply set my resolve. I had never backed down from a challenge.


	7. Chapter 6

Why did things always seem to be so complicated? I had known exactly what I was going to do until she had arrived. Now, I do not know what to think of anything. She had said that at our age, our 'hormones' were 'raging', that it was of no consequence. Perhaps she was right, perhaps she was wrong. It was hard to tell. I decided to practice archery instead of entertaining these foolish notions.

OoOoO

I noticed that Jester seemed to have been avoiding me, as several times I had turned a corner to see long, blue-clad legs fleeing along with a light accompaniment of bells. So when I saw that several of the maids (and Jester) had gathered around what seemed to be Inez's offer of friendship to Caitlyn, I began to prepare my forward assault. So I was then given the opportunity to offer some facts of Caitlyn's story, even though I knew that it simply set Inez into further conviction, and chase Jester down before he escaped again.

"You!" I stated as a command to his retreating form. "Stay!" He had one leg in the air at the moment I gave the command, and for comic effect, had kept it so. I suppressed a chuckle, I was trying to be angry, and moved so I could look at him face to face. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but at that very moment a rather fat raindrop suddenly landed on his hat and managed to shift it down, over his eyes. "May I suggest that we continue this conversation under cover?"

I sighed as another drop of rain fell, this time on my hair. "Very well." I waited for him to choose a direction, making it less likely for him to escape. He set off down the trail at a quick trot, and soon his destination became clear: the gate. For a moment I thought that he might have been trying to escape into town, but he paused as soon as he reached the cover of the stone structure. I started to follow him, quickening my pace as the rain came down harder. By the time I got to the gate, it was practically a torrent.

"Pardon me, what was the question again?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?!"

"Well…um…uh…er…you see…well…it is somewhat complicated…because…well…u-"

"Get to the point, Jester!"

"Um…" he sighed. "Very well. You see, for the past several days I have noticed that-"

"Come on, Jane. We're supposed to get into the keep. Sir Theodore fears that this is going to be quite a storm. You should probably come too, Jester," Inez said as she jogged up to where we were standing. I shot her an evil look for interrupting Jester as he was finally starting his tale. She looked confused for a moment before asking, "Was I interrupting something?"

Jester quickly responded with a steadfast "No," and ran as quickly as he could toward the keep.

"Is he afraid of thunder, or something?"

"No, just of me," I smiled.

"C'mon, we should follow him," she gestured for me to follow as she set off after the diminishing blue-clad figure.

OoOoO

Fool that I was, I actually thought for a moment that her interest might have been in me. Now I know that she will always think of me as just a friend. After all, he would always be near to her, more so than I ever would. Eventually, they would ride into battle, save each other's lives, and fall more in love, and I would be left to record the heroic deeds of them both. Hopefully, she never realizes who the red-haired maid in my ballads truly is.

OoOoO

"Inez, may I ask you a question?" Jane asked, preventing me from finally drifting off. The storm seemed to only increase in ferocity through the evening, so all the knights had taken temporary lodging in the keep. Jane had asked to sleep in my room, as she couldn't very well sleep with the rest of the knights and my room had been her room before she was a knight.

"Can it wait until morning?" I really wanted to get to sleep. I was tired.

"I suppose so. Well, not really."

I sighed. I already knew what she was going to ask. After all, only a few months ago Jackie and I had had a similar conversation. "Well, what is it?" I might have been willing to talk, but that didn't mean I wouldn't be crabby about it.

"Well, you see, it seems like for the past several months, Gunther has been acting rather strange around me. It has gotten slightly better since you arrived, but if there is ever a spare moment in which we are not sparring, he seems to want to say something, or maybe he wants me to say something. I do not know what is bothering him. Do young men act like that in your time."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Young men are, always have, and always will be awkward around girls they like."

"What do you mean? I would think that all people are more comfortable around people whom they are on good terms with."

"Sorry. It's a modern euphemism. I mean, he doth find your visage pleasing to his eye, and he finds that his heart beats faster when you are near him."

"Gunther?" she exclaimed. "I doubt it!"

"Doubt me not, for I seem to be more privy to his private thoughts than thee."

"How so? And stop speaking like that!" She ordered, a laugh in her voice.

I laughed again. I was having a bit of fun. "A couple days ago, he came up to me as I was walking between the stable and the Wizard's tower. It seemed that he thought that you told me everything, though we had only known each other for a few days. He asked me what I thought would happen if he started wooing you. I told him he should wear his armor if he was honestly going to do such a thing, 'cause you would probably injure him if he tried. Then I told him that he probably didn't really like you, he just thought he did because he's at an age when his hormones are raging."

"Really? You are sure?"

"Definitely. It was the awkwardest conversation in my life."

"Well, then. You seem to quite well understand that situation."

"I am fairly perceptive of such things. And easily trusted."

"I suppose so." She said, a more mellow note in her voice. "Perhaps...you could help me with another problem?"

"More boy trouble?! Please don't tell me that you think a vampire and a werewolf both want to marry you!"

"What?"

"I was referring to a terrible book that won't be written for centuries that's secretly trying to convert people to a religion that won't be founded for centuries. Anyway, continue."

"Of course. Well, I was asking Jester if he thought Gunther had been acting-"

"Oh, goodness! You asked another boy about boy trouble! No offense, but that's the oldest rule in the book?"

"Book? What book? The one with vampires and werewolves?"

"No, it just means that it's something everyone should know."

"I see. So, to continue, ever since I asked Jester about Gunther, he's been avoiding me."

"He's avoiding you because he likes you. I'm not going to try to pretend that I know everything there is to know about boys, but I'm willing to bet that know he thinks that you like Gunther, are going to get married, and have lots of warrior children. Generally, guys are not the people to talk to of such things. That's why girls have girl talks, not girl and guy talks!"

"I see. That is a problem."

"Indeed. So, which one do you favor?"

Jane paused, and I knew that if there was light to see by she would be looking at me square in the eyes, "I don't know."


	8. Chapter 7

2012 A.D.

I was on my bed, listening to my iPod, when it really hit me. I could hear the pound of a heavy beat and a rap about a party, dancing, and beer. I could practically hear her tell me that I shouldn't listen to filth like that as she reached for the music player to switch it to something better: the Spanish songs she had forcibly inserted to my playlists. I actually reached my hand down to protect it before I remembered that, no, she hadn't been scolding me for my music choice, and, no, she wasn't even here to do so. Then I cried, unashamedly. After a moment to compose myself, I got off the bed and resolved to find her, where ever, and, perhaps, when ever she was.

OoOoO

812 A.D.

Much to my discomfort, one of Matt's disgusting songs weaseled their way into my head, and I couldn't get it out. I knew that humming sometimes helped, so I started to hum as softly as I could while grooming Augustus, Sir Theodore's horse. Unfortunately for me, a musician is well equipped to hear even the faintest tune.

"What is that which you are humming, Inez?"

I considered purposefully spooking Augustus so that he may hit Jester with his hooves, knock him unconscious, and make a reply from me unnecessary. Of course, such behavior was out of the question, but it was fun to entertain the notion. "It's a rap song."

"A what? 'Rap', you say?"

"Rap technically means rhythm and poetry, but in truth, it's any guy who can string rhyming words together about inappropriate topics. Somehow, it's the most popular genre of music."

"It does not sound like you much approve of this 'rap'. How is it that you came to know this 'rap' song well enough to hum it?"

I was starting to regret not getting Jester knocked out on the floor. "You're right. I don't like rap. A guy I know liked it, but I was always trying to get him to listen to things more appropriate, like what I listened to."

"You must know this 'guy' fairly well to have a song of his stuck in your head."

I didn't like where this was going, and I had the choice of getting angry or getting sad. I chose angry. "You know what? I did know him well! Emphasis on the 'did'! I'm never going to see him again, and you asking questions about him is hardly going to help! So why don't you run off and mope about your sorry little woes, such as 'I wonder if Jane could ever favor someone like me', and I'll deal with big problems, like never seeing anyone I ever knew ever again, and having to deal with it or die!" I didn't let my voice go above a whisper, lest Augustus spooked after all, but my voice was sharp enough to scare even the greatest knight of the time, not to mention a court jester.

His mouth opened and closed several times like a fish out of water before he began backing up slowly until he was out of the stables and my line of sight, at which point I heard his steps speed up as he quickly retreated. A few minutes later as I was finishing with Augustus, I heard the tentative sound of Jane's boots on the dirt in a way that was almost saying 'I'm being loud to let you know I'm here'.

"I'm fine, Jane. Just a little frustrated."

"I know. Jester doesn't believe me, though, and he sent me to try to help you calm down."

I was struck with the notion of yelling about how Jester should mind his own business, but instead, I let out a ragged breath and said through clenched teeth, "I don't need to calm down. I'm perfectly tranquil in every way."

"Somehow, I did not believe you when you said that. Perhaps it was the fact that your fists are curled tight enough to draw blood."

I opened my palm and, sure enough, there were small crescents of red in my palm where my fingers had broken through my skin. I released another breath. "Alright, so I'm not completely calm. It's just...my time is still a sensitive subject."

"What exactly happened? Jester wouldn't tell me the whole story."

"Understandably. I sort of called him on his mopy ballads."

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously? You haven't figured out who the red-haired girl he goes on about is?"

"What exactly did you tell him?" Jane asked, suddenly trepidations.

I sighed again, finished with my stable duties for the day, and told her how it came to be that Jester was now afraid of me while we walked toward the Wizard's tower.

"Well, I think he will now be avoiding both of us. You really need to learn to control that temper of yours, Nezzie"

"Don't call me-" I choked up as I realized that I had started my automatic reaction to the nickname whenever Matt had used it. In a moment, I realized that I had fallen onto Jane and had been crying uncontrollably.

"I...think you could stand a day off." Jane nervously suggested. We began walking toward the keep where she set me down on the bed in my room. "I'll tell the Wizard that you will not be helping him today. He'll understand."

Of course, while I heard her say this, it didn't really register with me. An ill-timed torrent of emotions had finally caught up with me from when I had first arrived. The sense of shock had finally worn thin enough that it no longer protected me from the unexpectedly strong sense of physical pain. I had thought that I had managed to move on with my life, but obviously I had underestimated my own emotions. The tears that had never come were simply waiting for this. A time when I was just getting comfortable, a chance word, an automatic response, and I was ambushed.

It is impossible to fully describe the heart-wrenching grief that tore through me like a hurricane. It is impossible for someone to fully comprehend the pain that followed, not unless that someone had lost everyone in their old life as totally and completely as I. The closest thing I could possibly get to speaking to anyone I had ever known would be speaking to Matt's ancestors, where ever they were on this evil isle in this wretched time. It made me want to scream and cry and rip myself out of existence.

How horribly I wanted to escape from the pain! I wanted to run and never return. I wanted to build a time machine. I wanted to...Yes! Of course! It would be simple to stop this pain! So many different paths to chose, each more painful than the last, but each less painful than this. I soon decided on the swiftest possible method of erasing this pain. The more I thought, the easier it seemed to become. After all, I was in a castle. Many nice, pointy things.

OoOoO

My goodness, it was too easy! It would not even be hard to get her out of the castle! I suppose that she did not know that someone was trying to force her out of the castle, but she still might have the wit to keep herself from having a complete breakdown. And more! I could take the other down too, for she had aided someone who turned out to be insane after all. I quickly started to plant seeds of doubt in others minds. This was going to be good.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey, sorry about the wait for this one. I've been sick, and school started. Oh, and thanks to my wonderful beta. You're amazing.

I was somewhat concerned for Inez, but I couldn't let something like that distract me from today's important lesson on one of the noblest forms of combat: jousting. I had not only allowed Inez to groom Cleaver, but gone over him thoroughly myself after she had retired to her quarters. As I walked into the arena with Cleaver, the chestnut gelding was absolutely shining. Gunther's large destrier, black as night, did not seem so well attended.

"Today is not only a lesson on jousting, but a surprise inspection on the upkeep of your horse," Sir Theodore informed us. "The horse is one of the most important components of a good joust, and your horses' care can be the difference between victory and defeat. Now, if you will stand back and allow Ivan and I to look over your horses..." Gunther and I moved back from our steeds quickly, but not so swift as to spook them.

Sir Ivan looked over Gunther's horse. After a few moments' inspection it was discovered that the girth was too loose, a stone was in the horses hoof, and the horse was in a generally sorry condition. On the other hand, Sir Theodore, while he said nothing, seemed impressed at the care I had taken with Cleaver.

When Gunther returned, having fixed as many problems with his horse as possible, Sir Theodore told us to mount. Of course, Gunther and I would not be jousting at each other yet, simply at a target, but that wouldn't stop us from being slightly overly competitive. He had bet me half a silver stag that he could hit his mark before I, and I intended to make him pay up.

After several hours, Gunther and I had been unseated far too many times to count and neither of us had yet hit the mark. We were dismissed, and it was decided that it would be decided on the next jousting lesson.

Otherwise, besides a few tasks that we were assigned for the afternoon, we had the day off. Gunther started to clumsily invite me to spend the day with him at the market. ("I hear the smith in town makes the best swords!" "I already have a sword." "That is no reason to not go!"), but I managed to escape by saying that I promised Pepper I would help in the kitchens.

I started the afternoon at the practice weapon racks, checking to see if any of them had been damaged recently, and then went on to polish Sir Ivan's second set of armor. Once I was finished with my assigned chores, I went to help Pepper to give validity to my excuse. Oddly, I thought that I saw Inez walking along the parapet as I walked towards the kitchen. This confused me, as she seemed like she would be crying all day when I last saw her. I shrugged it off, assuming she was just taking a stroll to clear her head. If I had said as much to Inez, she would have responded, "assuming makes an ass out of you and me," but I did not vocalize my thoughts, and I was not speaking to Inez.

This is possibly the moment that I regret most in this whole encounter. If only I had...never mind.

Once in the kitchens, Pepper set me to chopping up carrots for her soup. When finished, she ordered me to leave, saying that "once you smell good food, you eat it!" On leaving, I wandered around the castle aimlessly before making a short visit to Inez's room to check on her. She had huddled into a ball, her mop of brown hair covering her face and the faint sob of tears coming from somewhere near her pillow. She was obviously not on the parapet.

I sat down on the edge, suddenly wondering if this was something like what Inez's mother would do in a situation such as this. The sobs continued to come. In fact, they were coming in a somewhat repetitive cycle. Ah-huh-huh-huh-*sniffle*-huh-huh. Ah-huh-huh-huh-*sniffle*-huh-huh. Four sobs, a sniffle, two sobs, breath. Absolutely every time, almost like it was some sort of magical device that was simply playing the sound of Inez crying. Impossible! Right? After all, she did come from a time when people flew in great ships, why not something to record sounds. I patted her shoulder and it felt uncomfortably cold. On an impulse, I removed the quilt and found I was staring at a pillow molded like a human body, a large collection of chestnut horse hair, and the strange thing that I had seen in her hand when we had first crossed paths.

I cursed. Like a drunk Sir Ivan. I then started running as quickly as I could in the direction in which Inez had been walking. Thankfully, she had been walking slowly. Despite a thirty minute lead, I might be able to cover enough ground to catch her. Perhaps I should fetch my sword from my room, in case she had wandered into a dangerous situation. Hours ago, I would have trusted Inez to handle any trouble she found with ease, but I had recently seen the Inez I thought I knew break down into a sobbing, weak version of herself. I neared my tower room, and a sudden glare from the sun caught me as I moved out of the shadow of the keep. Odd, that the sun was bright, mocking whatever trouble Inez may be in.

I reached desperately for the door, half realizing the scene I was causing, half not even caring. The first thing I saw upon entry was this, plain and simple: red. Inez had been wearing a red dress, but that was not what struck my eye. The blood running down the shaft of the blade, the gushing wound, the trail of red dribbling down the side of her mouth like dribble; these are what struck me. I burst once more out of the room, looking for anyone capable of delivering a message. I whispered a thanks to whatever divine entity was listening when I saw Sherilin walking with a load of laundry. "Sherilin, if you be a friend of Inez, fetch Pepper and as many rags as you can as soon as possible and return to my quarters!" I did not even wait for her response before running full speed toward the wizard tower. I prayed to every entity listening that Inez had taught him 'modern medicine', as she called it. I bolted up the stairs and flung open the doors. He seemed to have known this was coming, as he immediately took hold of a small bag and shooed me out the door with him following me.

When I returned to my room, I put as much pressure as I could as near to the dragon-forged blade as I dared, trying not to think what something that could pierce Dragon's skin could do to a human. Pepper was there, staring open-mouthed with a handful of rags in her hand and at her foot. Sherilin must have forced the cloth onto Pepper when she saw the state of Inez.

The Wizard arrived a moment later, saw the situation, and immediately bid Pepper to light the hearth and hand him the cloths. As a cook, Pepper was more than well equipped to do that, even in the most shocking of times. He started mumbling about 'arterial spray' and 'blood transfusion' among other such terms that he seemed to say in an effort to remember them more than use them. Finally he looked up at me. "I think she has a chance. She missed the heart, but there is a chance that she opened up an artery. Good thing it did not go all the way through. Damn it, if she had not been the one to be injured so, I could do a blood transfusion, but without her help I fear that it would only make matters worse. Pepper, could you put that poker in the fire? Jane, please put your hands on these rags. When I pull the sword out, I want you to immediately place more pressure on the wound. I know you are a knight; use all of your strength."

He took a deep breath, grabbed the hilt, and drew up in a surprisingly steady motion, but I was concentrating more on the task which had been set to me. The blood seemed to temporarily increase, but as I applied all of the force available to me, it stymied and almost seemed to stop under my hands.

"All right. Now we have to...um...'cauterize' it. Pepper, could you hand me the poker?" the still-frightened kitchen cook handed it over, the tip glowing a hot red. The Wizard took the poker in both hands and held it above the wound with slightly shaking hands. I changed my hand position to encircle the wound, like a target. The Wizard moved down with the poker, sealing the wound with heat and effectively stopping the blood flow at last. A better sign than the ceasure of the red waterfall from her shoulder was the small whimper as the intense heat entered the wound.

Pepper seemed to gather her composure, though still a tad pale from the whole business. "We should try to move her to your bed, Jane. It will be more comfortable than the floor and give us a chance to tidy up." I nodded, but turned to the Wizard for approval of this action.

"Put a more permanent bandage on the wound than those rags first. Then she should be safe to lift to the bed. Just be careful. If you will excuse me, now..." the Wizard was only called on for major injuries, like a sword in the shoulder. Minor wounds and healing patients were the domain of Pepper and a handful of knights like myself, trained in combat first aid before we were deemed ft to hold a wooden stick in the shape of a blade. Pepper scurried to find her bandages and returned in a moment. She and I were careful to remove the blouse (thank goodness she was not wearing full dress!) without jostling her shoulder. We then set upon the task of binding the wound to stabilize it. Afterwards, we dressed her in one of the blouses from my old wardrobe and moved her to the bed.

Pepper frowned as she and I were on our way to get buckets to wash the floor of blood. "Someone should stay with her at all times..."

"I can take care of that. It is my room, after all."

"Very well, but tomorrow we will move her to the kitchens. You cannot stay in the tower all day, and I need to work. I will bring a bucket and some rags." In a moment she was back and we both set to the task of rolling back the rug, which likely would have to be burned, unfortunately, and scrubbed the floors.

"Pepper, you must return to the kitchens. I will watch over her, if only for the evening." She nodded and left, relieved to escape the solidifying stench of dried blood. I continued to scrub until almost all of the red was off the stone.

"So, why does it smell like something died in here?" The strong voice of Dragon came from outside the open window, which I would have sworn was closed only moments before. His face was light, joyful even. It was odd considering the gravity of the recent events.

"Well, something tried to die in here…" I gestured toward the bed where Inez was resting fitfully. It seemed that now that her escape from pain had been thwarted, she was experiencing even more pain than before.

Dragon sobered quickly. "What happened?"

His look seemed excessively concerned, especially since he had barely spoken to her in the past few weeks that Inez had been in the castle. I felt that this warranted an inquiry. "Why exactly are you so concerned over our future friend, here?"

He started to speak, but stopped. He thought for a moment before answering. "She and I are the same. We are both different from anyone here. I am the only dragon, and she-"

"Is among her own kind. How is it that you are the same?"

"As I was saying, she is different from anyone here. Perhaps not physically, but she is different from all of you emotionally, mentally, and culturally. How many times a day do you wonder, 'what did she mean by that?', or 'why did she do that?' and not actually ask it in addition to the questions you ask? How many questions does she ask you? I may be another species, but I am not referencing someone named Harry Potter! In fact, the two of us together could function as a regular short life. My knowledge of common customs and her ability to appear human would make us unstoppable. However, the more pertinent factor is that she and I are the only ones who can truly understand what it is like to be completely isolated from your own kind. What is more, she has no hope of ever meeting anyone who knows who Shakira is until Shakira is born, whereas there is still hope in there being another dragon. Even I cannot imagine the pain that must result in that realization. I think only she will ever experience the complete sense of loneliness that must envelope her. That is why I am so concerned. I know the kind of pain that she has."

I had not fully considered how lonely Inez might be in the castle; it had not struck me that eight centuries of time could isolate someone so completely. While I still did not, no, could not comprehend a pain so terrible that the only solution was to end your life, I now understood that such a pain level existed, and it was far beyond the pain that the human body could take before it gave up on any rational thought. Dragon and I stood watch over the sleeping form on the bed as she slipped from eerily placid rests to sudden, ferocious bursts in which she had to be restrained to prevent further damage to herself. It was then that I resolved to not let her pain overcome her if I had any choice about it. Somehow, I felt as though I knew she had to be alive for something. I just did not yet know what it was.


	10. Chapter 9

For an unidentifiable length of time, I wandered between a deep, restful sleep and a light semi-consciousness: not awake, but still somewhat aware of my surroundings. I had first a vague memory of Jane and the Dragon watching over me, then what seemed to be the kitchen, an image of Pepper scurrying every which way. I must have stayed in the kitchen for a long while, as many of these vague memories were of Pepper, with brief flashes of Rake, Jester, Smithy, Sherilin, and even Gunther. Jane always seemed to appear the most, but her visits seemed to grow less frequent and she seemed angrier as time went on. Eventually, Jane's visits all but stopped and my remaining patrons seemed more worried than ever. Finally, I had a groggy memory of Jane coming through the door, lifting me up and transferring me to Dragon's hands, followed swiftly by a vision of sky and lower Dragon, ending as we entered a cave.

The most concrete memory I experienced was staring up at a rock ceiling, the sound of a fire crackling somewhere to my left and the deep breathing that came from a sleeping giant, such as a dragon. I started to sit up, but felt a sudden pain in my shoulder, forcing me back to the small bundle of quilts that had surrounded me for years. I took a moment, breathing through my mouth, and prepared myself for the pain. I slowly lifted myself up, first getting a solid grip on the ground beneath me and then pushing up. I noticed immediately that my right arm seemed to have lost strength. I still couldn't completely remember why it was that my shoulder hurt, why my arm was weak, and why I was in this cave and not in quarters within the castle. I managed to prop myself up and found myself breathless. I took a moment, panting, before I tried to continue standing. I drew my legs in with very little effort and shifted into a crouch. I felt a sudden wave of pain, but I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore it instead of falling once more. I started to straighten my legs and my back, standing up, no matter how much it hurt. As I fulfilled my somewhat minuscule height, I felt the need to sit again. It was not the pain that hit me this time, but the dizziness. I stumbled backwards, reaching for a wall and finding it, and simply waited for my vision to return and hoping not to pass out so soon after waking up.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, I could see clearly. I was in Dragon's cave, as I thought. I had only been there once, but it was not the sort of place easily forgotten. It contained high-vaulted ceilings disappearing into darkness, stupendously large areas of space that were simply beyond comprehension, and the rattling sound that seemed to follow Dragon wherever he went that echoed deep into the catacombs of the mountain.

The large reptilian beast was sleeping in the eerie manner described in so many tales of dragons: one eye remained open. His bed was gold and gems, more stacked into a pile than would likely be seen in the same location for hundreds of years. I considered waking him, but somewhat unsure of what a dragon was like when awakened, I slowly walked toward the fire.

I sat next to the large flame facing the interior of the cave, realizing that I had grown cold in the moments I had been standing free of the blankets. Could it be this cold already? My most recent memories were of hot late summer. I would have to have been unconscious for moons for it to have become this cold. What could have happened to me that I had been unconscious for moons?

I heard the sound of a horse galloping. I turned around to see who was now present and saw the brilliant red hair of Jane. She climbed off of her horse and entered the half-darkness of the cave. A few steps in, her movements turned frantic. She rushed towards the sleeping behemoth, unconsciously turning her back to me, and jostled his nose. "Wake up, Dragon! Inez is missing!"

"She is not!" Dragon drawled in the way that most humans would in the morning, but with a faint fiery rumble that made him sound more like a dragon than I had ever heard him before.

"Yes she is! She is not in her bed!"

"She's warming herself by the fire. Nothing too alarming. Assuming she does not catch fire." It must take more focus than I thought for him to sound human.

Jane turned around and saw me. I gave an unnecessary half-wave. Her face immediately turned the color of her hair. "So...Inez...do you feel...okay?"

"Fit as a fiddle and twice as large. Why?"

"Well, everyone had been worried about you at the castle."

"I do not think there is much to worry about. I am fine. Unless there is something you are not telling me." I used the last sentence as a question, trying to discover how I had come to be wounded.

Jane seemed surprised by what I said. "Did you just say 'do not', 'I am', and 'are not'?"

"Yes. Why is it surprising that I would use such words?"

"You never used them before."

"How could I possible have been able to effectively communicate without using 'do not', 'I am', or 'are not'? They are rather common words!"

"Yes, but you said 'don't', 'I'm', and 'aren't', before."

"Jane, did you bump your head? 'Don't' is not a word. It sounds like someone tried to ram two words together and there were several casualties!"

"Yes, but you said that such things were common in the future! That, and 'rap', and great metal ships that flew! You told me about them when we first met, a few months ago!"

"A few months ago! What are you talking about! I have been living here since I was a child!"

"No! You arrived a few months ago in a strange purple portal!"

I was suddenly concerned for Jane and hurried over to test her forehead. "You do not seem to have a fever, but you are obviously delusional. Come, sit down in those blankets. You must be sick!"

"Get your hand off of me! I am not sick, you are! You cannot remember anything! You are banished from the castle and you do not even know why, because you can not remember!"

"I am banished from the castle? Why?"

"You tried to kill yourself! You are mentally unstable, or at least that is what Caitlyn told everyone!"

"I assure you, I have never had the slightest inclination to end my life. Is that how I got this shoulder injury?" I suddenly touched the area in question. If I had injured myself there, the pain would be enough to keep me asleep for moons.

Jane sighed. "You really do not remember? You had pierced yourself with my blade." She withdrew her sword, belted at her hip, in a fluid motion. She slid her thumb along for just a moment before pulling it up to show a small, red drop forming. "This sword was forged in dragon-fire. It can pierce even the scales of a dragon."

"It is true. That sword is the only thing I have seen that can injure me." Dragon interjected with this testimonial.

"We were concerned what the result of having a Dragon forged blade in your shoulder would do to you. Apparently, the result is amnesia. We were lucky that you had terrible aim: you not only missed the heart, but all vital organs. You did, however hit an artery, so it was a bit chancy as to whether you would survive for the first week or so. We assumed that you did it because of-"

"Stress. You had been working even harder than normal with Smithy and the Wizard seemed to have pushed you past your limit." This sounded logical to me, though I did notice the fiery glance that Jane and Dragon exchanged. I assumed that it was something Dragon did not wish to discuss.

"I am well now. Perhaps you should explain exactly what has happened."

Jane and Dragon exchanged a glance. Jane took a deep breath, and began.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry. I was sick and banned from public places in the house, such as the computer room.

2012 A.D.

She couldn't be in the present. She had to be in the future or the past, otherwise the ominous message on my SKWAK pad was far too right.

The first place I tried was the library. My first thought made me think of the Cybrary, but I wasn't sure that it had a very in-depth theoretical physics department. Within twenty minutes of entering the town library, I had checked out and begun reading various manuscripts on the theories of time travel. I decided that wormholes were out, since they needed to have been set over a thousand years ago, and that book was set aside. I started a book about time travel in relation to speed of light travel. I fought the urge to throw it in the trash. I could never get a craft moving fast enough, and that would still only mean that time traveled slower for those in the craft, not fully blown time travel.

I continued to wade through information that mostly went way over my head. After about thirty minutes, Jackie entered the large library our town boasted of. It did not take long for her to identify me out of the eerily quiet crowd that was ever-present in the massive structure. "Your mom thought I might find you here." She announced quietly as she approached the book-strewn table I'd seated myself at. She looked over several of the titles. "Do you need help, Matt?" I nodded and she grabbed the book nearest to her. That was at noon. Four hours later, a librarian informed us that we had to leave. "You are out of time. The library is closing. You can come back tomorrow," the dour librarian informed us. Jackie and I were startled at the librarian's choice of words. At first, we both believed that she knew something she shouldn't. After all, only Jackie and I knew what our SKWAK pads said every time we tried to contact Inez. I grabbed about half of the unread books and she the other. We agreed to meet at the library first thing after school. I lumbered home with the large books and wished I'd brought my bicycle.

When I finally arrived, I set the books on the desk in my room before attempting what I had done every day for three months. I took out my SKWAK pad, navigated through the menu to the communication option, and pressed CONTACT. A few moments passed before the familiar words crossed the screen. OUT OF TIME. I cursed, set the SKWAK down, and continued reading the laboriously boring books until I fell asleep, still sitting at my desk

OoOoO

812 A.D.

"Obviously, the moment I found you I sent for Pepper and the Wizard. We stopped the bleeding and cauterized the wound. You spent the first night in my room, where we had found you, and the next morning you were moved to the kitchens.

"I had to report this downturn to the King. His initial decree was that you would be kept in the kitchens until you were recovered enough to explain yourself. The next few weeks you seemed to be getting better, but you would have these...fits. You would start thrashing about, screaming and moaning, and often these fits made your wound start bleeding again.

"Someone got word of these fits. Before too long, everyone in the castle had heard that you were 'subconsciously trying to prevent recovery'. In addition, you had been eating castle food and using castle medicine without showing any sign of recovery. While many people in the castle had initially supported the King's decision, people soon turned on you. Not even a moon after your injury, people requested that the King make another ruling. His second decree was that if you had not recovered after a two-moon period, you would be removed from the castle. No one would say it, but everyone knew that this was a death sentence."

"They were willing to let me die! Who?"

"Many people. The rest of the knights supported the second decision. Most of the maids said it was a just decision. I admit, my own mother and father were willing to turn against you."

"Was anyone willing to let me live?"

I took a deep breath and looked Inez in the eye. "Rake, Smithy, Jester, Pepper, the Wizard, Dragon, and I."

"And Sherilin. You forgot Sherilin."

I shook my head slowly. "It was the seven of us against the castle. Everyday, the Wizard or I, sometimes both, would petition the King to revert to his initial ruling. However, every day, he simply seemed to turn against you more. I was shocked and appalled when Princess Lavinia, just a child, said that you were a waste of resources. Pepper and the Wizard did everything we could to get you better, but progress came slowly. Eventually, the fits stopped, but that only was a week ago, almost to the deadline.

"Oddly enough, the last day for you to explain yourself was yesterday. If you had been conscious yesterday, we would not have this mess."

"Everyone else in the castle was willing to let me die! I cannot believe it! I have known all of them for years. They are my friends! They abandoned me! They better hope I never see any of them again..." She continued to rant. She did not bother to ask what mess I was referring to, but I suppose it is natural to remain on the thought that a large group of people would be willing to let you die. Dragon and I got comfortable while she continued to rant. "...even people I thought were my friends were going to let me die. Wait. If I had until yesterday to recover, than why am I not alone in the woods somewhere?"

I sighed. "That is the mess I was referring to."

"You brought me here? But I was to be banished! You are defying the King's orders! They can take away your knight-hood for that!"

"Can and already have. When the King refused to repeal his decision, I spat on the floor in front of him, stormed out of the throne room, and Dragon carried you here. I immediately saddled Cleaver and rode him here. A few of the others came up, knowing the only place I could be. Jester came to explain that 'the King was barking mad and wanted to send the knights up here, but Theodore made him realize the foolishness in attacking Dragon's cave', and regretfully admitted that he could not join me. He could do nothing but perform, and the only place to do so was the castle. Rake and Pepper came to say that neither could leave the castle: Rake had to stay with his garden and Pepper had to stay with Rake. The Wizard sent a scroll with them informing us that he could not join us, as his skills were only useful in a castle. I did not really expect any of them to leave, though I had hoped.

"I think we will be fine here for awhile, though we might have to move on before winter comes. If we travel to another kingdom, I might get a position as a knight and you could help in the stables, just as before, though we could never stay somewhere that did not accept Dragon-"

"I do not accept your plan. This is my cave. I am not going anywhere." I gave Dragon my most killer stare for a moment and he returned it tenfold. I backed down, after a moment.

"Very well. If the entire kingdom lived here in the wilderness years, we can manage, just the three of us." I forced a smile, hoping to look reassuring, but I failed. Inez returned with a smile, trying to look hopeful, but failed.

It was silent.

After a while, Inez spoke, suddenly. "I did not try to kill myself. I was framed."

"You are saying that someone stabbed you in the shoulder? Do you remember who it was?"

"Yes and no. All that I know is that I would not have tried to kill myself over stress. The last thing I remember was a conversation that we had the night it stormed and you could not sleep in your tower. My guess would be Caitlyn did this."

"Caitlyn? I admit, I do not like her, but accusing her of attempted murder..." I did not like the fiendish look in Inez's eyes.

"She probably gave me something to cause those fits."

"I do not think she knew herbage well enough to do that..." She seemed to be stretching things to fit her story.

"And doubtless she told people of my 'mental instability'."

"I suppose that is possible..." I was growing frightened of this Inez.

"And she was probably the biggest supporter of the new decree!"

"That, she was." I had to concede that piece of truth, but I could not believe anything more.

"All we have to do is prove it! But how..."

I had to stop this before it got out of control. "Inez?"

"Yes, Jane?"

"What if she did not do this?" I tried to phrase it politely, but she took it as a personal affront.

"Who else would want to, Jane?"

My mind raced, trying to provide an answer besides Inez herself. "Gunther, perhaps. He knew that I would follow if you were banished and he was tired of the competition I provided."

"But what are the chances-"

"Maybe I did. I was tired of living in the castle and needed an excuse to leave." I was wiling to admit that this was a weak argument.

"That is unreasonable-"

"Or any one of the knights who dislike me and Dragon both and wish to be rid of us could have done it. The same logic as Gunther, but with a stronger motive." This seemed somewhat likely in my mind.

"But why would they do that?"

"Why would it be Caitlyn?"

"She is extremely mean and cold-hearted."

"I see. So being 'mean and cold-hearted' makes you a plotting, conniving murderer?" I laced my voice with sarcasm.

"Not necessarily, but-"

"You know, I am not sure what happened in that room three moons ago, but I wish it had not. The Inez I knew was a fun-loving, light-hearted person who wanted to be friends with everyone. You are not Inez. You cannot even recognize the possibility that you might have tried to kill yourself!" The sudden bout of anger was rather like me, but I could not believe that I was actually losing my temper at the most reasonable person I knew.

"The Inez you knew was insane, apparently. 'Great metal ships that fly'! Maybe whatever happened in that room made me come to my senses!" Inez looked at me with ferocity I had never before seen. "You know what, I do not need you! I do not need Dragon, I do not need your little friends, and I do not need help! Perhaps I am not the crazy one! I am not the one who refuses to see what is right before one's eyes! And I refuse to consort with mad women and beasts!" Dragon stood up at this insult, a fiery glow coming to his eyes.

"What did you just call me?"

"A beast! And I think I could do better on my own!" She stormed off towards the exit to the cave.

Dragon took a deep breath in, preparing to roast her. While I admit, I would have wanted to do the same thing in his place, I stepped in front of him. "No, Dragon. Something is wrong with her, and I intend to find out what."

OoOoO

I charged out of the cave like an angry dragon. As I descended the mountain, I felt myself increase the pace steadily until I broke into a jog which developed into a run. I might not be as good a runner as...My thoughts stopped. I knew that I must have been a worse runner than someone, but my memory would not supply the face or name. I shrugged it off and assumed the name would come.

My breath began to come in shorter gasps and my stride shortened. I was getting tired. I slowed my pace to a walk, hoping that my breath would return and I would then be able run once more. As I regained control of my breathing, I realized just how cold it was outside. I started running again, hoping the exertion would combat the cold enough to keep me comfortable.

The name that I could not remember continued to bug me. I felt like whoever it was, they were important. It felt like, perhaps, if I could remember them and find them, my problems would be solved.

I felt the ground beneath me grow slightly softer. No longer was I running across stone, but dirt. Twigs and leaves, fallen from their former hosts, crunched beneath my feet. I slowed a portion, worried about roots and fallen branches that could trip me in the forest which grew thicker with every step.

As the mat of dead leaves grew thicker, I became concerned with the presence of wolves. Jane had told me that they sometimes frequent the area. This thought in my head, I slowed consideralbly to a cautious walk. I attempted to minimize the noise being made by my footsteps, but now every movement seemed like the movement of ten armies. Once again, the cold became a concern. I wondered why I would ever have left home.


	12. Chapter 11

2012 A.D.

I shivered as the cold wind hit me. I wrapped the scarf tighter around my neck as I tried to juggle the books in one hand. One fell. Jackie caught it before it hit the ground, but dropped all of the books she carried in the process. Three months ago, I would have made a joke. Three months ago, Inez would have laughed. I said nothing as I help Jackie pick up her books.

"Come on. My dad will be waiting for us," Jackie urged as she lifted the large stack of books from the ground. We walked towards the large green minivan driven by Mr. James, Jackie's father.

After only two weeks, Jackie and I had read every book in our local library on theoretical physics. We had asked for help from the High School librarians and they had loaded us with many treasures, but even those were finished within a month of Inez's disappearence. We had begun to extend our search to other towns, enlisting the begrudging help of our parents. Jackie was the one who suggested we each keep a chart of any likely theories. Unfortunately, we could not be sure when or where she had ended up, so all we could hope was that if we knew how she disappeard, we coud both follow her to where she was and then bring her back.

I had written nothing on my chart.

OoOoO

812 A.D.

I stumbled through the underbrush, partially wishing that I had not been so rude to Jane and Dragon. I had been warm, safe, and well fed. Now, I was cold, in a dark wood, and hungry. And beyond that, I felt like I needed to be somewhere urgently. To top it all off, I could not remember anything farther back than four months ago when I started working for Smithy. I had the feeling that I had seen the Wizard before then, so I assumed that I had been working with him for several years. The lack of memory was truly what frustrated me.

Jane may have had a point when she said I was not the same as before. I was confident then. Now I was afraid. I saw everyone as a potential friend then. Now I saw them as an enemy. Even those who I should trust, like Jane, Dragon, Jester, Rake, Pepper, and Smithy, were feared. I felt like a wild animal, unable to trust anything. Yet, still, I did not have the instincts of an animal and in all likelihood would not live through the night.

So, despite my fear and distrust, and the feeling that I should be somewhere that very instant, I climbed a tree, got as comfortable as possible, prayed to whoever was listening that the cold and the animals spare me, and went to sleep.

OoOoO

Now that the entire reason I had left the castle had proclaimed that I was unnecessary, I felt lost. Thankfully, before I felt the need to do something, a figure appeared in the entrance to the cave. A figure with bells.

He started walking towards Dragon and I. "I...have been thinking about you all day. I mean, I was worried about you. I mean, I thought you could use some entertainment. That is to say, when you leave Kippernia, you will have to stop at inns. I-I could help you make enough money to not sleep in the barn." Jester blushed sheepishly after giving his long, confusing introduction. By now, he stood next to me. "So, where is Inez?"

"She stormed off proclaiming that she did not need our help."

"That certainly makes it harder to help her."

"Indeed."

Silence filled the air.

"You won, by the way."

Jester appeared confused and unsure how to respond. "Won what?"

"You were the first to come and offer your services. That means you are more worried about me. And that means you have won."

"I...see. Wait, no I do not. What?"

Dragon interjected before I could explain once more. "You and Gunther both liked Jane. You were the first to offer help to Jane. You showed that you care more than Gunther. You won Jane's heart. Are you happy now?"

"Yes. Very much so. Thank you, Dragon." Jester looked both relieved and nervous.

"Always good to be of service to short-lives stumbling through adolescence. Because your personal life is my first concern."

"Of course. But Jane, how did you know?"

"That you had an interest in me? I admit, I owe it all to Inez. I had a suspicion, but when I asked Inez why she thought you were avoiding me-"

"She said it was because you spoke of Gunther in front of me. I understand."

Silence, once more, ruled.

"Well, seeing as you two short-lives have no reason to not be at the castle, I suggest you return."

"First thing in the morning. It is too late to return, now." I could feel the devilish look cross my face, and the sly smile that spread across Jester's.

"No! Not here, not in my cave! I am willing to play matchmaker as long as I also play matron. No."

"But, Dragon-" we protested in chorus.

"No. That is my final word. Now, Jane, you are sleeping under my wing and the jingle-boy is sleeping in those blankets way over there. And I will know if anyone changes position during the night!" Dragon lifted a wing and pointed toward the blankets that had been prepared for Inez. "Good night!"


	13. Chapter 12

"Wake up, Jester. We are leaving." Jester mumbled something but did not show a sign of leaving the blankets, which needed to be packed into Cleaver's saddle bag. "If you do not wake up, we will leave you to get back to the castle on your own." He mumbled some more and turned in his cocoon. "Wake up, lazy bones." I gave a light kick.

Jester opened his eyes and sat up. "Did you kick me?"

"Who, me? Of course not. Come on, you hibernating bear. We need to pack up your blankets"

"But I just woke up," Jester protested, stretching and stifling a yawn.

"So? I have been awake since sunrise. If we want to get to the castle while the King is still accepting audiences, we need to leave now."

"Why? It is only a few moments ride on Dragon."

"Yes, but there is also Cleaver to think of and Dragon wished to try to find Inez. He took off an hour ago. That means we are walking, so move it!"

Jester groaned, but he removed himself from his nest and kneeled to start folding it with surprisingly neat precision. He noticed there was an odd bulge and shook out the blankets. Inez's SKWAK fell out. "This would have been the last way to get her to remember herself," I mused, darkly. "Wherever she is, she doesn't have the experience that the old Inez could have provided her."

Jester stood and placed his hand on my shoulder. "You did all you could, Jane. Yous should feel no regrets." He kneeled again and continued his task.

Now that the pile of blankets was neatly folded, he carried it over to Cleaver and placed it into the pack. "I was thinking last night. If Inez got here through a portal from cyberspace, another portal could bring her back."

"Yes, but how do we do that?"

"We do not. I believe she said that a friend of hers, Matt d'Ark, has English ancestry. That means that if we tell everyone we meet her tale and what Matt must do, it will eventually become a family legend, and whoever Matt is, he will know what to do to save Inez."

"Assuming Matt is not rebellious and is willing to listen to his parents, and that our little legend retains enough clarity for him to know what to do."

"We cannot save her. We must get word whatever way possible to someone who can."

I nodded in agreement. "Very well. We will tell anyone who will listen the story of Inez, and hope that it somehow makes a difference."

OoOoO

2012 A.D.

I knocked on the door heavily, trying to wake the sleeping teen within. "Matt, time for school! You're going to miss the bus if you don't get your butt moving!" I listened to see if my son was doing as instructed. I opened the door to find him collapsed on what looked like schoolbooks. I sighed, walked over, and shook his shoulder. "Matt, honey, it's time for school. You have to wake up."

"Inez?" he mumbled, staring at me bleary eyed.

"No, it's your mother. Your very angry mother if you don't start moving soon. I am not going to be late again because I had to drive you to school. And is that homework?"

"No. Research." He jumped out of his chair and bolted for the shower. I looked over the books he was reading. 'General Relativity and its Application to Altering the Flow of Time' was the only title that I understood. After a moment of puzzlement, it struck me. He thought that Inez had somehow traveled through time, not been kidnapped. Well, _that _explained his sudden interest in literature five towns away_._

As a mother, his dedication was touching. As a psychiatrist, his denial was disturbing to me. My husband Sam, a pessimist and a DA had informed me that most kidnap victims are dead after twenty-four hours. After four months, little over point one percent still lived. If Matt continued to believe that she had somehow time-warped, when they finally found Inez, he could break. But...I didn't have the heart to warn him.

"Ready." In the time it had taken me to gather the work I had done last night, Matt had gotten ready to go. He was wearing that old green sweater despite the many holes that grew more and more evident. I made a note to get him a new one for Christmas.

"Why don't I walk you to the bus stop?" I suggested.

"Are you sure you won't be late?" I had forgotten that a sarcastic beast takes over my son in the mornings.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. So funny I almost forgot to laugh." Two could play at that game. I opened the door and walked with my son to the bus stop. "Actually, I wanted to tell you some family history. I have told you about Jane, the matriarch of our family."

"The one who tamed a dragon."

"Well, I think that's just a figurative interpretation. It probably means that she conquered the dragon within herself-"

"Mom, you're psycho-babbling."

"Right. Any way, one day she came across a girl named Annis in the forest near her castle. Annis claimed to be from the future. Actually, she was rather accurate in her description of the future. Annis claimed that in her time, there were great metal ships that flew and rap music was popular, or at least that's how the story goes. Anyway, Annis became so depressed because of the cultural difference between herself and those around her that she tried to kill herself. Jane saved Annis' life, but when Annis awoke she didn't remember the future. Jane and Annis got in a big fight and Annis stormed off into the forest. She was never seen again. The story goes that a boy named Theo from her her time came and rescued her. Other branches call the boy Matt and say he was from a place called Siber's Pass. My point is, that it wasn't until Annis accepted her fate that she was saved. Do you see what I mean, Matt?"

"Yes." I doubted it. I saw the opposite of what I wanted to see in his eyes. I saw hope. "When did Jane live, again?" he asked.

I was suspicious, but answered him anyway. "She lived in the early 800s, but that story is believed to have taken place when Jane was only 12, sometime in the late fall of 812. Basically, about 1200 years ago."

"Thanks for walking me to the bus stop and telling me that story, Mom. I'll remember it."

It took a moment before I realized my mistake. My son was going to try to go to 9th century England. And I wasn't certain enough that the dragon was a metaphor to be okay with that.

OoOoO

812 A.D.

I was awake. I was alive. I was cold. Those were the only constants I was aware of. I was not certain that I could feel my feet. I could see my hands, which were a suspicious shade of blue. My back had an uncomfortable crick in it. I tried to move. I fell out of the tree. Pain filled my mind, a roaring wave that would not relent. I resisted the urge to scream, as that would just summon predators.

I slowly tried to move again. I tried to form a list of the parts that were working and the parts that would not respond. My arms and legs worked, though I could not feel my feet or my fingers. I doubted my ability to stand. The fall seemed to have broken my wrist. My methods of transportation were severely limited. I still felt the need to be somewhere. I continued to travel in the direction that I was drawn to on my hand and knees. I had begun to feel my hands again and I wished I had not. Every shuffle forward brought pain. Every movement hurt. I wanted to stop. I wanted to fall asleep. However, the pull towards this indescribable place was too strong. I kept dragging my broken body towards this location.

I heard a loud thump behind me. "We leave you alone for one night and this happens. You would be dead by now if Jane had not stood up for you."

"Dragon?" I asked, my voice raspy from lack of water.

"That, or Beast if you prefer." His biting reply reminded me of my horrid behavior.

"Sorry."

"Right. You are coming back to the cave with me. Now."

"No."

"What? Are you insane? Well, yes. But you don't want to go somewhere to warm up so you do not die?"

"Have to go…that way." I feebly pointed toward where the tugging sensation was coming from.

"That's toward where we found you. Why do you need to go there?"

My mind did not know, but my voice responded anyway. "Home."

"You think you can get home if I take you there? Very well. But you are coming with me."

I nodded. I felt my muscles collapse. I fell to the ground. "Hurry." That was the last thing I said before I felt the sensation of being lifted from the ground and blacking out.


	14. Chapter 13

2012 A.D.

Jackie was already in the library when I got there (We still came here to get some peace to read). I wondered how before I saw the skateboard with her things. Slider had been giving her lessons. "Jackie!" I exclaimed before I remembered I was in a library. Four librarians immediately turned to shush me. I mouthed an apology. I walked as quickly as I could towards the table without receiving a sterner reprimand.

"What did you find out?" she asked, sensing my excitement.

"Annis is in 812 Kippernia!"

"What?" The confusion on her face was obvious.

"My mother was telling me a story about a girl that one of my ancestors knew. The girl claimed she was from the future. The girl hated rap. The girl's name was Annis."

"So?"

"AN-nis, An-NIS, In-NIS, In-EZ! The girl from my family story is Inez!"

"How did Inez get into 812 um..."

"Kippernia."

"Yeah, that. And how do we get there?"

"Through Siber's Pass!"

"Siber's what?"

"1200 years changes the pronunciation a bit. Siber's Pass, Siber's Pace, Siber Space, Cyberspace! I read something about it in one of those books. If two pocket universes touch at one point, then they can be accessed at any location in space or time. Cyberspace is probably another universe! So if we go to Cyberspace, we can go to 812 England, grab Inez, and be back before dinner!"

"Then what are we doing here. Let's save Inez!" She and I left the library and headed for somewhere where we wouldn't be seen.

I took out my SKWAK as we hurried away. "Dige!"

"Yeah, Matt? What's up?"

"We know where Inez is!"

"Do you have her yet?"

"No, we have to get into Cyberspace first!"

"Hold on, we'll get you a portal!"

A purple circle appeared in front of Jackie and me. We jumped in. In a second we were in Control Central.

"Mother B! Can you open a portal to any time other than the present?" Jackie asked immediately.

"Yes. Why, Jackie?" Mother Board looked confused.

"Inez somehow got stuck in 812 England, near a landmark called Kippernia Castle."

"Not just somehow. Hacker set up something called a portal disruptor last time," Digit explained, beginning to grow flustered. "He used his failed plan as a ruse. He hoped that he would catch all of you with it and trap you in a different time. If we open more than three portals in a day or open a portal for longer than five minutes, we won't know where you'll end up!"

"That's not good," I said, not realizing how surprisingly pessimistic I was when I was about to resue the girl of my dreams.

"So we'll only have one shot at this today," Jackie summed up.

"I have a gut feeling that if we don't get her today, we won't get her at all," I announced ominously. Boy, was I gloomy, or what?

"So we have five minutes to go back in time, find Inez, and get back, or who knows what will happen?" Jackie asked, a hint of fear entering her voice.

"That's right. Let's do this!" I set a timer for five minutes on my SKWAK. When I saw the first trace of purple light, I started the clock. Jackie and I burst into the portal, Digit right behind.

The time in the portal alarmed me, so I figured it had freaked Inez, too. The words additione and subtractione seemed odd. When we got out, I was struck with the beauty of the location and the clean scent in the air. I looked frantically through the small clearing. There was no sign of Inez. I looked down at my SKWAK. Four minutes left. That meant we had three minutes left before we had to leave, with or without Inez. I scanned the sky. A large figure was growing larger. I knew immediately that my mother was dead wrong about the dragon being Jane's inner turmoil. The dragon was a **dragon**. Big, green, scaly, and descending fast. I saw something in its great claws. Something human. I prayed that this beast was friendly and that the something was Inez. The dragon landed heavily in the clearing. Jackie and Digit won't admit it, but they fled into the portal just then. Two minutes left.

"You are Matt?" The beast asked in what an odd accent that didn't sound very British, but it didn't sound cockney either.

"Yes. Is that Inez? We're a tad bit short on time, unfortunately."

"Yes. Hurry, though. She has managed to injure herself fairly badly since she left Jane and me." Dragon delicately placed Inez's form in my arms. Ninety seconds.

"Thank you. And tell Jane that she better tell her kids about this!" I dove into the portal with just above a minute remaining. Thank God.

OoOoO

812 A.D.

Odd. Matt, the friend of Inez, looked strikingly similar to the jingle-boy if you ignored the bright, red, unruly mop of hair. I suppose I should tell Jane and Jester as much. After they had children, though.


	15. Chapter 14

The castle accepted me. The King knew I was simply distressed over a friend, and now that Inez was gone and I was willing to return, no one asked questions and everyone received me willingly. My father rushed forward from the King's right to envelope me in a hug just after the King announced I could return. My mother, also present, did not allow this show of emotion, but gave a nod in my direction to show her happiness at my return.

"Do not ever, ever scare me like that again!" My father exclaimed into my ear.

"I will try not to. Generally, I do not stumble upon people from the future."

I returned immediately to my knight's training. According to pattern, Gunther began to awkwardly speak to me the moment he thought we were alone.

"Jane! I am so glad you are safe-"

"Save it, Gunther!" Jester interjected. "I already won." Jester bowed, offered his arm, and I accepted. We sauntered towards Rake's garden. I saw Caitlyn approach Gunther out of the corner of my eye.

"'Save it'? I think you spent a bit too much time with Inez!" I exclaimed in the semi-privacy. The two of us shared a discrete smile, and before I realized what was happening, he leaned down to kiss me.

OoOoO

2012 A.D.

Motherboard immediately sent us to the hospital nearest our town. I told the nurse at the admittance desk who she was and she paged the hospital for "Doctors Ramirez!" exclaiming that "Someone found your daughter!"

It was just a second before Inez's parents were wheeling around a corner as if…well, as if their daughter had come back from the dead. Mr. Ramirez had the sense to call for a gurney, giving me a break from carrying Inez. The two doctors rushed off with their daughter with what I guessed was the trauma rooms, but Jackie and I had to wait outside.

"Do you think she'll be-" Jackie began, before I cut her off.

"Okay? I don't think she'll be okay, I know she'll be okay."

"How can you know? She looked like she was in pretty bad shape."

I shrugged. "I know Inez. Not even being trapped in another time and left to freeze would keep her down for long. How can you not know?"

Jackie gave me a somewhat worried look, like she was wondering if I was crazy. After a moment, she shrugged and dialed her parents' number to let them know where we were. I thought about doing the same, but one look at my hands told me I was shaking too hard to even dial the numbers. I wasn't shaking from the cold, or even fear for Inez. I was shaking from anticipation.

I stayed in the waiting room with Jackie until her parents arrived, but then she had to leave. Mrs. James offered me a ride home, but I told her that my parents were fine with me staying until dinnertime. They hadn't said that, I hadn't even called them yet, but Mrs. James had no way of knowing that.

An hour or two after Jackie had left, I noticed a nurse coming from the general area of the ER and whisper something to the nurse at the desk. Based on the excited squeal from the nurse, I assumed that Inez would be alright.

"Excuse me, Miss? But, is my friend okay?" I asked, just to clarify.

"She's just fine. She's unconscious now, and we're going to keep her unconcious for a few days."

"Can...can I see her?" I asked tentatively, not sure of the hospital protical for this situation.

"I'm sorry, kid. Family only unless her parents okay it."

"Oh, right."

"Visiting hours are almost over anyway, and your parents should probably be picking you up soon, right?"

"Definately..." I realized that it was almost eight and I hadn't told my parents where I was. I flipped open my SKWAK and hit the telephone feature, the nurse shaking her head in a disapproving manner. "Mom? Sorry I didn't call earlier...There was nothing to worry about...I'm at the hospital...Calm down Mom! I'm okay!...I found Inez, but she was in pretty bad shape...She's unconcious and they won't let me visit her...Thanks, Mom...Alright, see you in a half hour." I hung up, glad that Mom was able to understand my problem.

I had to leave that night, and I had school the next day, but the holiday break started soon after that and I tried to visit Inez every day. Eventually her parents realized how anxious I was to see her and allowed me to go in. I heard her doctor saying something about a week before Christmas about letting her wake up. After that, I spent every moment of visiting hours at her side, holding her hand and whispering encouragement. Finally, on Christmas Eve, her eyes fluttered open. She licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak her first words since she returned from the past.

Of course, "Who are you?" was hardly what I expected her to say. However, most people simply assumed that she had forgotten reality and retreated to a dream world she called Kippernia. It was very good that no expert in medieval England was in the hospital, as he would find her description strangely accurate to everyday life in a certain area of Britain in the early 800s.

Inez was soon discharged and my mother was called in. Mom got into the habit of bringing me along, hoping to spark a memory. Of course, the time when my mom wasn't in the room I removed my SKWAK and showed her various images of our many adventures. One day, Inez's eyes widened in shock as it all came flooding back. I told her the story that seemed to fit her injuries best, and when my mother returned, she repeated the story flawlessly, even tearing up at appropriate moments. The story she told was this:

She'd been abducted on her way home from school and driven to a cabin in the forest. After about three weeks, she tried to escape. The man who abducted her stabbed her in the struggle when he caught her escaping. He cared for her for three months, nursing her back to health. When she had most of her strength back, he tried to force himself on her, but she managed to resist him and hit him over the head with a lamp. He was knocked out and she was able to escape. The rest I left up to her. She said that she started in the direction of what she thought was our town. When the sun went down, she climbed into a tree, but when she woke up, she fell down. Eventually, she collapsed. This worked well enough with the story Jackie and I came up with to explain how we found her.

Everybody accepted her story, and within months Jackie and I agreed, with the insistance of everyone in Cyberspace and Inez herself, to bring her back to her second home. She seemed to be the same person that she was when she left, except for the odd absence of contractions when she talked. Everyone was quite relieved, myself included, and quickly things settled into their old rythms. All was right again, just in time.


	16. Epilogue

Unidentified Point in Time

Darkness prevailed in the dense forest, interupted briefly by a bright flash of purple light. Two figures appeared in a small clearing, frightening the nearby inhabitants.

"Are you sure we should be here? The story your mother told said that I was never seen again."

"If you want, you can stay here and I can go-"

"If you are going to see my friends, I am definately going with you."

"Then it's settled."

The smaller of the figures lead the way through the forest, completely sure of her location, until she reached a village, when she came to a sudden halt.

"What's wrong?"

"The village is bigger."

"We did try for later in time."

The smaller figure nodded and continued to walk towards the nearby castle. The drawbridge was down, but someone stood at attention. The smaller figure squinted at the statue like person at the gate.

"Gunther?"

The knight straightened to attention and peered at the two figures before him. He seemed to have recognized that voice, but from where...

"I thought we agreed I would do the talking! No one can recognize you!" the larger figure hissed in the smaller's ear.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

"We have come to see the knight, Jane d'Ark. We have news for her ears only."

"Any news to be carried to the Knight Captain can be announced before any knight."

"Please, we need to speak with her."

"Why did you not visit her home in the village, then?"

"We did not know where it was."

"Alright, take this path down, take the first right, and keep going until you hear a screaming baby. That is where she lives, if you have to be so secretive about your news."

"Thank you."

The two figures scurried back into town, listening for the home with the screaming baby. When they found it, they walked up towards the house and knocked on the door. The baby instantly stopped crying and the street was silent. Slowly, the door slid open to reveal an odd sight. A woman with shocking red hair opened the door, a baby balancing on her left hip and her right hand holding a sword threateningly.

"Who are you?"

The larger figure pulled down a hood, revealing hair as red as the woman's.

"Virgilius? I thought you were dealing with Leonius? And why is your hair red?"

"I'm not 'Virgilius,' whoever that is."

The woman put away her sword.

"No, you know Inez."

"Yes. Please tell your children the story of Inez. It's completely necassary to her being rescued."

"Of course. It is already Leonius' favorite, and I am sure Renata will love it."

"One more thing, your daughters and their daughters must keep the name d'Ark, or I'm likely to end up with a weird name, like Engström."

The red-haired woman looked confused, but nodded.

"I am glad to know you are safe," she said, addressing the silent, smaller figure.

The small figure nodded before turning on her heel.

"Oh, wait!" the small figure turned once more toward the door. "Caitlyn married Gunther and had an annoying littly boy, and Sherilyn married Smithy. Pepper and Rake still are not married, but only because Pepper is so devoted to her job. Jester and I got married, obviously, and I was promoted to Knight Captain when Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon passed away. Dragon...went to look in the far east for other dragons. Cuthbert is King and a surprisingly good one, though his mother is still around to help him when necceasary. Lavinia has been pledged to a prince of the kingdom to the east and the princess of that kingdom is plaedged to Cuthbert. Our countries are to be united at midsummer. Uther, the prince of that land, looks like he could be an effective ruler in time, but he is a bit young. And no one is willing to talk about you. They think you are dead and blame themselves for it. I wish you could stay here, but I suppose you belong in your own time. And you, who so obviously told me that you are a decendant of mine, you better ask this girl to marry you because she is the best woman you are ever going to find. In your time, at least." All of this was delivered in one breath. The figures nodded and turned away as she closed the door. They scurried back to the clearing in the forest, and with a flash of prurple light, they were gone.

OoOoO

Matt and Inez took off the hoodies that were way too hot for comfort.

"Did any of that mean anything to you?"

"Absolutely, I am quite pleased about it, actually. I am sure she would appreciate the irony that she told you to marry me when this escapade is how we spend our wedding night."

"Think about it this way: she was instructing two people who weren't born yet to marry each other. We weren't married, or engaged, because our great-great-grandparents hadn't even been thought of yet, if it gets rid of the irony."

"That neither makes sense nor gets rid of the irony. You are just trying to make my head hurt."

"That's why you married me, Nezzie."

"Definately, and do not call me Nezzie."

"Of course, Nezzie." She punched him, he laughed, and they all lived happy, productive lives. Well, first Jane and Jester led happy, productive lives, then Jane's children did so, then their children, then their children, then their children, etc. Then Matt and Inez led happy, pruductive lives.


End file.
